It's Happening
by EddieBlood
Summary: The Valentine's Day Dance is right around the corner, and guess who has a date? DIB! Unfortunately, he has no idea who it is. Who could it be? Read and find out! First one-shot of ZaDr.  Gah, gave it away.  Reviews welcome. Rated T for mild langaue.


_**It's Happening**_

**A/N: Sooo this is my one-shot of Valentine's Day ZaDr-y DOOM. Enjoy. ^_^**

It wasn't natural. It wasn't normal. It wasn't right. But it was happening.

It started with anonymous heart-shaped pieces of bologna in his hell of a locker. Then there were steaks. Then the steaks had a clue. Not a big clue. Just a pink Sticky Note with the letter "Z" on it.

He stupidly mistook it for Zita. After all, she was the only female who's name began with Z. And the handwriting was so girly that he never would've suspected what he got that Valentine's Day.

Dib trudged into Hi-Skool that morning feeling like crap. He was the only boy who hadn't gotten a date for the Girl's Choice Valentine's Dance that evening. Other than Zim, of course. But who would possibly ask that alien freak?

Dib opened his locker to find a rather large slab of meat wrapped in plastic. This time, there was a card on it. He picked it up to read it.

_Dib,_

_Meet me at the far side of the Skool exactly five minutes before the dance. Yes, this is me asking you. Even though... never mind._

— _Z_

"Even though what?" Dib thought out loud.

A few people looked at him, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "psychopath." Dib had trained himself to block out all these rude comments, though, and barely noticed. He pulled the wrapped meat out of his locker, thankful he wouldn't have to buy the Skool's dreadful food once again. He placed it in his neon green messenger bag and, with the swish of a trench coat, headed to Spanish class.

Spanish was probably the most boring class he had. He often found himself nodding off or daydreaming. But today, he was thinking about Z. It _had_ to be Zita. She had probably finally seen the light about Zim and wanted to apologize. No wonder she would leave meat. How embarrassing it would be to admit to seeing the truth...

"Tonight's gonna be interesting." Dib thought, smirking.

…

"Even though... Even though..." the large-headed boy mumbled repeatedly. He was looking at the note again. The last two words confused him. Even though what? She had asked him to the dance... Maybe it was even though she never believed him. Or even though she wasn't big on dances.

The bell rang and Dib pocketed the note. His next class was art, where his assigned seat was right next to Zim. He groaned at the thought of having to spend yet another hour with the alien freak. He considered ditching, but he had already skipped several classes this month... So, he trudged to art class, looking grim. He was the first one there. Maybe he could sit somewhere else..? No. He didn't need to get in trouble.

He reluctantly took his seat. In the old days, he would've been happy to sit near Zim. It would be the perfect opportunity to expose him to the world. Now, he just liked avoiding the little creep. Sure, he still talked about Zim being an alien way too much. But his heart just wasn't into it. No one believed him, and Zim always had some dumb excuse for what Dib pointed out. Speaking of which, the green boy marched into the classroom and sat down.

"Dib-thing."

"Space-boy."

And then there was silence. For a while, at least. Zim, not finding any interest in painting, asked, "Did the Dib get asked to the filthy Earth dance?"

"Yes, he did."

"By..?"

Dib did not answer. Instead, he questioned, "What about you, 'Mighty Irken Invader Zim'? Did you get asked?"

Zim narrowed his amethyst eyes. "Of course! Who wouldn't want to go to your putrid Valery Time Dance with Zim?"

"It's VALENTINE'S, moron. You've been here long enough to know _that_."

"Zim said no." the Irken stated.

"Really? All normal people go to Skool dances."

"I have no interest in your disgusting _'dancing.'_"

"Whatever. Who in their right mind asked YOU, anyways?"

"That horrible Zita female."

Dib froze in his picture of a yeti.

"She was obviously 'dared' to do it. Several worm-babies were watching and giggling..."

Dib was hardly listening. Zita asked Zim? Maybe she was dared to ask him too... Great, his one shot at love was a joke... But why so anonymously? Was she too scared to even ask him aloud?

Unless...

The boy glanced at Zim, who was drawing a rather life-like picture of himself standing on top of a burning world.

No. Not possible.

…

"You're really going to that shitty dance, Dib?" Gaz asked without looking up from her game.

"Someone asked me. I think I'm kind of required to go..."

"It's probably a trap to humiliate you again. Remember the shrimp?"

"Shut up!" Dib said too loudly, blushing furiously. "And I'm going anyways. There's nothing better to do."

"Whatever. Have fun in hell."

"Oh, be quiet. I'll be back in a few hours." he said, pulling a black coat over a loose red shirt. He left his house and began the trek to Hi-Skool.

He hoped it was Zita. He hoped there wasn't an ambush waiting for him. He hoped it wouldn't be a total bust. He stopped in his tracks. The Skool was crowded. Very, very crowded. Almost everyone had come, it seemed. There was a flow of students dressed in red, pink, and white going into the cafeteria. Sighing, Dib walked to the far side of Hi-Skool, which was poorly lit. A figure stood in the shadows.

"Z?"

The person nodded and stepped out into the dim light. They were dressed in black pants and a loose white shirt. They had on black boots. And they had... green skin.

"ZIM! This _is_ a trap!"

Dib got into a fighting stance, ready to be attacked.

"Stupid human... This is no trap." Zim replied in an oddly quiet voice.

"Yeah, right."

"Dib-smell, I need you to... what's the expression humans use? I need you to hear me out." when Dib did not relax or move in any way, Zim held up his hands. "No tricks, hyuuman."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because you know me. My evil plans are never _this_ elaborate."

The boy opened his mouth to disagree, but it was true. Zim never thought anything through. The meat had been going on for several weeks... He'd had many other opportunities to maim Dib in secret. Why wait until now?

"Alright, Zim. I'll listen." he sighed.

"Good. I will grace your ears with my amazing voice." the alien said. "Zim has been... confused. He isn't a real Invader..."

"What?"

"My Tallest lied. I was exiled here. It wasn't an amazing secret mission. They were hoping for me to die. They told Zim over two months ago. I was depressed, but I got over it... on the outside. I didn't want you to think I was weak — the mighty Zim has no weakness!"

"What about water?"

"Shut your noise tube and let me finish." Zim growled. "After I got over depression, I began feeling things. Things Irkens don't feel very often. Sadness, care, compassion... and love." he spat the last word like it was poison. "I realized... we are equals. We are the two intelligent beings on this putrid planet. Our strength is matched. And I thought... perhaps the Dib and Zim could be friends."

Dib stood there, staring at the Irken before him. He had nothing to say.

"But you would never agree to that, so I kept quiet. I let you think I was still bent on world conquest — which would be nice, but I am not any more. Zim thought about you more and more often. That was when..." the alien shut his eyes for a moment, blinking back tears. (Yes. Tears. Dib was not hallucinating.) "I realized I... I care about you, Dib-stink."

"Zim... you put all those meat slabs in my locker, right?"

"Yes."

"That's more than caring. That's, for whatever reason, how humans show affection... _Love_."

"Zim knows."

"You... you love me? I thought Irkens need no one."

"Invaders need no one. Zim is not an Invader."

Dib was once again speechless. This alien freak, his mortal enemy, had just confessed LOVE for him! Enemies weren't meant to fall in love. This was all so weird…

"Zim feels ridiculous. This is embarrassing on so many levels... But, it feels good to get it out, I guess..."

"You asked me to the Valentine's Day Dance. And you turned down Zita for me."

"Don't remind me."

"The 'even though...' on the card. It was 'even though I'm a male', wasn't it?"

"Even though I'm a male alien, actually."

"Oh."

It was such a lame response. The tension was killing Dib. He had come here expecting a girl and got this. Yet, somehow, it made him happy. Happy that Zim had given up, happy that Zim cared, or happy that he didn't have something gross all over him, he could never know.

"Well, now that I've made a complete fool of myself —"

Dib cut Zim off by putting his lips on the alien's. Shocked, the Irken jumped. The big-headed boy involuntarily let go.

"You kissed Zim..." Zim said in awe.

"Well, yeah..." Dib mumbled sheepishly, rubbing his neck.

"You feel the same."

"I guess."

"Good."

Zim grabbed Dib by the shoulders and pulled him into another kiss, this one more forceful and deeper. Their tongues intertwined, Zim's snake-like one wrapping around Dib's. They stood locked in this embrace for God-knows-how-long.

When they finally pulled apart, Zim was a deep shade of green and Dib was pink.

"Happy Valery Times Day." Dib said mockingly.

"Oh, be quiet." Zim growled, wrapping his thin arms around the boy's waist.

Dib put his arms around Zim's slender body. "What say we go back to your house, Irken?"

"Zim thinks that's a wonderful idea. Who would want to be in a crowded room full of sweaty human teenagers, anyway?"

"Certainly not me."

They pulled apart and began walking to Zim's base, their hands locked together.

Sure, it wasn't natural. It wasn't normal. It wasn't right. But it was happening. And neither of them could be happier.

**Happy (late) Valentine's Day! :***


End file.
